The Government Science Study Program has once again organized the Research Internship program for students enrolled in the Government Practice course. This internship, aimed at analyzing governance practices in the field, was attended by sixty-one active students. The internship lasted for one month, during which Government Science students were placed in various institutions, including the Malang City Agency for Family Planning and Community Empowerment (BKBPM), the Malang City Council Secretariat (SEKWAN), and two districts in Malang City—Sukun District and Klojen District—further divided among the sub-districts under their jurisdiction.
On November 15, 2011, at the BKBPM Malang auditorium, students received a briefing directly from Mr. Heru Mulyono, SIP, MT, Head of the Subdivision of Community Institution Strengthening (PKM) at BKBPM Malang City. In his guidance, Mr. Heru, as students fondly call him, emphasized the strategic role of Government Science students in realizing good governance and being agents of change to meet societal needs. The key message in his briefing was to analyze Musrenbang (Development Planning Meeting) documents from the areas where students conducted their internships and encouraged them to examine the documents from various perspectives.
The briefing session was accompanied by the Head and Secretary of the Government Science Study Program. On this occasion, Dr. Tri Sulistyaningsih, M.Si., provided guidance to the students, starting with an explanation of the philosophy behind the research internship program in the Government Science Study Program. “The Government Science Study Program implements the Research Internship Program for practicing governance studies, which previously used the Study Excursive (SE) system. This change was prompted by two reasons: first, the SE system had been implemented too frequently, and second, it responded to student demands for a research internship. These reasons motivated us to introduce the research internship. It also aims to provide added value for Government Science students. The research internship serves as a primary focus in sharpening field expertise (technical skills) for students,” explained Dr. Tri in detail.
During the briefing, Dr. Tri Sulistyaningsih, M.Si., also motivated students to utilize the research internship effectively and efficiently. According to her, students would discover the true correlation between governance concepts taught in class and real-world cases in the field, ultimately leading to problem-solving for existing issues. Concluding her remarks, Dr. Tri, affectionately known as "Ibu Tri" among students, reminded them to uphold the good name of UMM and, specifically, the Government Science Study Program.
